"In terms of tournament position, I don't think this game was very important for either team," Karasev said.

"But given that the Nizhny Novgorod players performed in front of their fans, perhaps, it was more important to play with dignity and emerge victorious."

"For the Triumph squad, it was one of the last games before the Final Four of the EuroChallenge and we're a little anxious," Karasev said, explaining he did not want any of the players to pick up an injury.

"Ahead of us is an important event - not only for our club but also for Russia.

"So in some ways, the game was a bit nervous."

Sergey Karasev had 12 points for Triumph.

The Russian outfit, which has already secured third place in the PBL standings, then sent its second team to face Spartak Primorye to rest the first team for the Final Four and they crashed to a 105-59 defeat on Sunday.